The Internet opens up new possibilities for interchanging digital copies between different institutions. Touch and Turn (T&T) has initiated the project Mediation of rare books over the Internet, to make the interchange of rare books possible over theInternet.
The project will develop and validate the mediation service of rare books and manuscripts at libraries and other cultural and private institutions through the technology and business model of T&T, Sweden.
Using high quality Internet services, the aim is to establish an European standard of how to expose and preserve our cultural heritage through digitisation.
Mediation of rare books over the Internet is co-funded by the European Commission and was enrolled in the month of April 2003 and will finish in June 2004. The project is a Market Validation and a part of the area "Access to Europe's Cultural Heritage" involving private and public institutions and technical companies from 5 European countries:
Karl-Franzens University, Graz, AUSTRIA
Zentral und Landesbibliothek, Berlin, GERMANY
Swedish Institute at Athens, GREECE
University Library of Crete, Heraklion, GREECE
National Library of Rome, ITALY
Baldini Library, Rome, ITALY
Keats-Shelley House, Rome, ITALY
Uppsala University Library, SWEDEN
- initiate mediation between the parties within the project
- evaluate the potential of the online platform
- evaluate the technology as such in order to set a standard for how to expose rare books within the EC
- prepare for a deployment in Europe
- identify which branches could be interested of the mediation and potential customers and users
The online platform will make digital books/manuscripts produced with the T&T technology accessible to the general public, educational institutions and professionals alike. The platform will include different facilities for: Search functions, samples, news, education areas, downloads. It will function as a virtual meeting point where different groups of users can discuss matters of common interest within the area of rare books/manuscripts
For more information, please contact:
Katarina Przybyl
Project co-ordinator, Touch & Turn
katarina_AT_touchandturn.com
www.touchandturn.com
